A CHARITY shop worker sacked over claims she stole a television has won a fight to “clear her name”.

Liz Donnelly has been awarded more than £16,000 after an employment tribunal ruled she was unfairly dismissed from the British Heart Foundation store in Dumfries.

The 57-year-old – who was sacked in April – yesterday spoke of her relief at the outcome of the case.

She said: “I have been through eight months of hell and I am just relieved to clear my name.

“I was accused of being a thief and kicked out of a job I worked hard for. I worked there for seven years, often doing 50-hour weeks, and have never had a disciplinary record before.

“This has been such a traumatic and upsetting experience that could have been avoided.”

Mrs Donnelly of Carrick Road, Dumfries, added: “I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life.

“They were pointing the finger at me and basically calling me a thief, which was so hurtful. I felt as if I had been kicked in the teeth by my employers.

“The entire investigation was a shambles. This is not just me saying so – the tribunal pointed to it all as a mess and highlighted that the managers didn’t know who was doing what. It was a joke.”

Mrs Donnelly was sacked from her £13,000-year job as store manager over the alleged theft of TVs.

Four sets were donated by a health club when she was on holiday. When she returned to work, she arranged for the equipment to be collected.

But the tribunal heard they weren’t suitable for sale, due to missing equipment and the fact they were too big. Mrs Donnelly decided that, rather than dumping them, staff and volunteers could take them home and, if they worked, they would make a proper donation to the charity. The tribunal heard that two of the TVs, including one taken by Mrs Donnelly, didn’t work and were taken to the dump.

The donation came to the attention of another manager, who ordered a probe. That resulted in Mrs Donnelly being suspended from her position before being dismissed in April.

However the tribunal, which published its ruling on Friday, concluded the inquiry had “fundamental” and “procedural” errors. The judgment also pointed to evidence given by an area manager, Michael Parkin, as “completely lacking in credibility”.

The tribunal found Mrs Donnelly’s dismissal was “unfair”, while also concluding she “did not cause or contribute to her dismissal”. Mrs Donnelly was awarded basic compensation of £2,887, an award of £11,908 and £1,617 for breach of contract.

She said: “The case may have finished and I may have cleared my name – but this is not over for me.

“I feel as if I have become unemployable because of this and I don’t deserve it. I am worried about my future prospects and this entire ordeal has just been absolute hell.”